


The Strangest Things

by Lord Commander (Kosho)



Category: Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Eventual Relationships, Haven (Dragon Age), Hawke Sided with Mages, Hawke being Hawke, Inquisitor Sided with Mages, Lothering, Mages (Dragon Age), Mages vs. Templars, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sided with Mages, Tags Are Hard, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-19
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-09 18:52:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8907970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kosho/pseuds/Lord%20Commander
Summary: It begins with a reply from Hawke to Varric, and leads to something even the author could never make up. This age saw a blight, a qunari invasion at the same time as the beginning of the mage/templar fighting, and for the first time in hundreds of years, the rise of an Inquisition, little else could be so unusual. [Will eventually involve the Warden, Hawke, and Inquisitor Lavellan at Skyhold, along with new faces. Pairing or pairings to be determined later, and will feature chapters not from the Inquisitor's perspective as well.]





	1. Chapter 1

Hawke grimaced, quill poised over a few sheets of parchment. How Varric knew where to find him no matter where he went, well, he had a few ideas about that. That no one had busted his door off the hinges yet was a good sign, their missives were staying private at least. In typical Varric fashion, his last letter began with ‘I shit you not, things are getting weird.’ Most of his companions had parted ways after they left Kirkwall, Fenris being the only one with little enough planned to continue following him, and of course Titan. A mabari was nothing if not loyal, and he couldn’t imagine leaving his slobbering friend behind, especially when he was just about the last family he had now. He was trying valiantly to come up with a decent way to reply this time, and he could think of no better way than to share the only tale of interest he had in him since they parted ways. 

 

_ “Varric,  _

 

_ As you already know, we’re back in Ferelden. Lothering looks like shit, but it was the last place I think people would look for me. The darkspawn were kind enough not to completely demolish the Chantry, which is much more tolerable without all the backstabbing and other fun things. So the Conclave exploded, actually exploded? I figured it would have led to a figurative explosion, Templars and mages can’t even look at each other without getting pissy these days. Divine Justinia dead, a hole in the sky, and already they’ve caught someone? You say they’re calling her the Herald of Andraste, and she’s a Dalish elf, I admit I’m surprised to hear anyone saying that at all. That reminds me, I never mentioned how I ended up back in Ferelden, only that I was chasing a few leads, right? Well...brace yourself, this tale is...well, it’s probably boring compared to the tall tales you tell. Get it? Tall tales. From a dwarf? Oh shut up, I know you’re laughing when you read this. It was a girl who led us back here, Dalish, must be a thing, getting all involved in human affairs these days. Fenris seemed to get along with her, a minor miracle, she was a mage. I forgot to ask her name. Should have remembered to thank her for her help, maybe I’ll have a chance sometime.  _

 

_ Anyway, I got distracted for a moment. It was actually back in the Free Marches that we met up. Couldn’t risk going into a city, and, well, apparently for all my magic, I’m a shitty hunter, and Fenris is too obvious, he scared away anything we might have been able to eat before we could get close. So there we were, not far from where we were going to catch a ship, starving, weak. If you can believe it, we were resting up for the night, and the tree we were leaning against woke up. I’m told it was called a Sylvan, but I like to call it simply ‘big damned tree’. Did a fair bit of damage before we managed to kill it? Did we kill it? I’m not sure it could technically die, I don’t understand trees. Anyway, so now we were worse off, injured and starving. We used up our potions, naturally, and it was about two days to the nearest town, and we weren’t keen to risk going. Out of nowhere, this girl came out of the forest. I know you’re the type who would be dying to know the details, so I’ll share before you have a chance to beg for them.  _

 

_ She had the most unusual eye color, I can’t even think of the right shade to describe them. Is it weird for me to critique anyone else’s eyes? She had long hair,  just past her shoulders. I didn’t notice the ears at first until she got closer, at first I thought she wasn’t of this world. It’s a good thing I picked up a bit from Merrill, I was able to at least figure out how to greet her, she spoke the common tongue pretty nicely though, so I didn’t have to struggle to make conversation. She was a mage too, but it was like she had spent her whole life hunting (she probably did, now that I think about it. Do Dalish mages hunt? I suppose they must.) It took her only a few minutes to track down a ram and kill it, she cooked it right in front of us. I think Fenris cried. Cried! Do you know how grateful he was to not starve to death in the woods? Maybe he was just sweaty, hard to tell when the sun goes down.  _

 

_ We thought she’d just vanish back into the trees after we ate, which she did, but she came back a little while later. Guessing she ran off to gather plants or something, either way, she treated our wounds, and then we again thought she would leave, but it turns out she said she had to go the same way we were heading. So we spent nearly two weeks with her on a ship, we didn’t ask any questions, but if our time in Kirkwall taught me anything, it was probably a smuggler’s ship, I saw more crates of lyrium than I imagine were in the Gallows. For the amount of time we spent in that cramped space, you would think I asked her name, but I forgot entirely. I’ll ask Fenris later, maybe he caught it. If he asked, or she said it at some point, he’d be the one to remember it. I think she’ll fit in fine if she’s still in Ferelden, she took to Titan pretty quickly, although I recall she said she had never seen a mabari before. It works out, I’ve never seen a halla, so maybe we’re even. That’s where our meeting ends, she said she had some business for her clan to see to, and we split up here, in Lothering. I’m surprised she knew where she was going, but maybe I shouldn’t be, the Dalish go all over, right? Merrill said clans tend to wander, so I can’t imagine she was born and raised in the Free Marches. That’s not the best part though, we met some of her friends, I guess they were going to meet back up here, but...well, you know how people sometimes mention Dalish nobles? I met one. I didn’t get to know much about the company she kept, but there was one I had to ask about. You’ve seen Qunari, we both have, they all kind of have this look about them, right? You know the look. Big, like too big, and way tall, horns like a ram? Fenris says the Qun is very strict about who mates with who, so to his knowledge, they don’t tend to have kids with those that aren’t Qunari. I met one. A half-qunari. He looked more human than anything, but he had the longest hair I’ve ever seen. Big horns too, it was something to see. I just know you’re going to doubt this because I’m not the storyteller you are, and it’ll be some crap about how I didn’t follow the recipe for believable lies...err...stories that you use. I assure you, it’s all true, I wouldn’t pull your short legs.  _

 

_ If anyone asks about me anymore from this point, tell them whatever you like. I trust you’ll do right by me. I’ll be waiting to answer another letter, assuming we don’t actually starve before then. If you see what appears to be an elven princess, please tell her we’d be eternally grateful if she’d come this way and feed us again.  _

 

_ Until next time,  _

 

_ Killian Hawke.” _

 

He stared down at the letter with a small sigh, waving his hand over it quickly to help the ink dry a little faster. It had been a long time since he was last in this part of Thedas, and the trail had led him squarely back to where he began. Who knew if these things were the work of fate or the Maker, but either way, he had a feeling he’d be seeing Varric faster than he expected he might. Looking back over his shoulder, he smiled a little, that girl wasn’t the only one who would fit in pretty well, Titan had fallen asleep next to Fenris, currently resting his head on him. No darkspawn here to worry about, but it wouldn’t hurt to keep guard until they had slept enough for him to take a nap as well. If it weren’t for the warning Varric had given about a particularly grumpy Seeker who was looking for him, he might have decided to drop in to visit and see this ‘Herald of Andraste’ in person, but he had no desire to end up in a jail cell, as he suspected he might. Once he had enough to go on with his own business, he might go anyway, assuming the hole in the sky didn’t destroy the world before he had the chance. 


	2. Updates From Haven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varric replies to Hawke's letter, filling him in on what's happening around Haven.

Varric sat at a table in the tavern, picking up his quill. He had been a bit too busy lately to find the time to reply, and now that they were stuck waiting again, there was time now. The Herald sat across from him, distractedly staring into her drink like it was about to fight her. He suspected it was because she hadn’t yet grown accustomed to making small talk or other finer points of life outside her clan. That or maybe she was just disappointed in the ale itself, it was hard to tell and he could well have been reading too much into the look on her face. It was just as much because she needed a break from all the work she had been putting in, as he missed the company. Not since Kirkwall had he had a chance to sit down and enjoy a drink among friends, and while she wasn’t as close yet, it wasn’t as though he minded her presence. The other benefit was obvious, perhaps if he shared a few stories with her, she might have a few he could eventually put to paper if they lived through this. Her story already had a fair bit of potential, with the sheer number of impossible and crazy things that happened around her. He was decent at multitasking, and with that in mind, he began to pen his reply. 

 

_ “Hawke,  _

 

_ Meant to write sooner, actually glad I didn’t. I have a lot to tell you. When I first got your letter, we were about to set out for Val Royeaux. Funny thing is, as you well know, chantry mothers are crazy. Even after the Herald managed to stop the Breach from getting worse, they still think she’s going to make everything awful. Too old and blind to accept help where they can get it, I’m frankly surprised that the chantry has held together as well as it has considering what happened. Anyway, we returned to Haven, but not before she picked up a few strays. I don’t mean kittens like Blondie, I mean she found some strange people who wanted to join up. Even though you didn’t give me enough detail about the girl you met, I’ll be nice and tell you a bit about them. First, there’s an elf. Not Dalish, and she really, REALLY, doesn’t like ‘elfy’ things. She’s kind of strange, reminds me a lot of you, except less humorous in conversation. She likes to play pranks though, so you’d probably get along well with her.  I already told you the Herald is Dalish, so you’d think the last place you’d find her is at an Orlesian party, right? You’d be wrong.  _

 

_ She received an invitation to a party at Duke Bastien’s estate, held by one Madame de Fer. All formal reports of the incident say that our Lady Herald did quite well at holding her own. Some here were impressed by her capability. I’ve had a chance to speak with the woman since then, and it’s strange, apparently she’s not too fond of the actions of her fellow mages after the rebellion in Kirkwall. I wonder who she includes in the blame for that. Both you and Blondie would be pleased with her reaction to Vivienne’s views. It’s strange just how much like you she’s turning out to be. Despite protests from -- right, get this. Cullen is here, he runs the military. You can imagine the problem he had when she said she wanted to get the mages. Some good must have come out of pissing off Meredith after all, she said she wants to ally with them as equals, not as conscripts. I asked her, out of curiosity and she says it isn’t that she doesn’t think Templars serve a function, only that it was misused and that she thinks mages deserve a chance to deal with themselves.  _

 

_ Something big is going on, Hawke. I had the chance to go with to Redcliffe to meet with the mages, and there was a magister there. I don’t know a lot about magic, but I do know there was something suspicious about how quickly Tevinter stepped in. I probably shouldn’t mention much since Fenris is with you, and we both know how he feels about that particular subject. On that note, I know I said before that you should stay away for awhile, but I’m concerned. The Herald is plenty capable of handling herself, and honestly, she’s got what it takes to be a good leader, if anyone ever thought to give her a chance, who knows with humans. You may want to reconsider, I can’t explain it, I just get the feeling something much worse is in store, and you’re the only person I know who has a history of dealing with these matters. If nothing else, she could use a little advice, I’m sure.  _

 

_ Right, I got distracted as well. I’m also speaking to her as I write this. I just asked her because I’m not convinced she’s not the same girl you met before. Her name is Halesta, does that ring any bells? Did Fenris actually catch her name, or did both of you actually forget to bring it up? Where was I? Right, the strays. I left off with Vivienne. I thought she couldn’t possibly find anyone else who would want to be personally involved in the crazy, but I was wrong. The spymaster here had her look into a matter for her, and so it was that we went back to the Hinterlands to find a Warden. One. One Warden. A man by the name of Blackwall, he’s nice enough but I can’t help but feel like he doesn’t talk much because he has some deep, dark secret hidden under his giant beard. Can’t imagine what, but I mean, Wardens, am I right? I guess there’s talk of trying to locate the Hero of Ferelden too, Cassandra thinks she’s quiet, but she’s not. I don’t have to listen very hard to hear her. I have a few ideas about where he is, but I’m not about to say anything, not my job to hunt people down. You mentioned a half-Qunari that you met? Let’s skip the part where I don’t believe that for a moment, and get to the part where the Herald found a Qunari mercenary company on the Storm Coast. It wasn’t a battle, no, she hired them. You have no idea how uncomfortable it is to see a one-eyed Qunari standing in the yard. He’s not like the ones in Kirkwall, but it’s still odd. I don’t know where you have to go in your hunt for leads, or even what it is you’re looking into, but don’t die, alright? I doubt you will, I shouldn’t worry about you so much, but I’m betting twenty on there being some kind of epic confrontation somewhere in the future, and since neither you nor she can seem to keep the weird shit from happening around you both, I have to guess that you’ll be involved too.  _

 

_ I would say that the odds are good that the Hero of Ferelden will be involved too, but if he has any sense, he’ll stay far away and enjoy retirement. I’m expecting another letter from you soon, even though it’d be better to see you and the elf again. I have a plan to teach Halesta how to play, maybe when we meet up again, we’ll all get together. It’s been long enough since I’ve taken your coin, and I miss the sound of sovereigns in my pocket.  _

 

_ Varric” _

 

He folded the letter a few times, slipping it into his pocket. He glanced across the table briefly, looking down, though he did a double take. Halesta had finished her drink, and was now spinning the mug in midair. Not like he hadn’t seen the kind of magic she could do, but that didn’t change how unsettling it was to see it in practice outside of battle. 

 

“What did Cullen want earlier?” he asked, recalling he had meant to ask. 

 

“Supply cart broke a wheel, I offered to move it.” she mumbled. “Later, I volunteered to help haul iron to the forge.” 

 

“On that topic, what kind of magic is that, anyway? I’ve seen something like it before, but...well, I’m a dwarf, so magic is outside of my area of expertise.” he said with a laugh. 

 

“Force magic. I can do a lot with just my will and my mind, but it requires a lot of focus. Distractions make it less effective. Because of that it’s easier for me to work without a staff, though it seems Cassandra doesn’t like it when I remind her of that.” she said, her shoulder rising and falling quickly. 

 

“That woman doesn’t seem to like anything. Don’t mind her. What do you say we get more drinks? Nothing beats bad ale and a game to take your mind of the fact that we’re living in the middle of nowhere.” he said with a sigh. 

 

“I might not be very good, I haven’t really had a chance to learn…” she warned. 

 

“Then we won’t bet this time. Next time, your coinpurse is fair game.” he laughed. 


	3. What Comes Next

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hawke and Fenris make the decision to go see the situation for themselves.

Hawke perched himself on a low, flat rock, quietly reading through the letter Varric had sent. Fenris walking back up the path, laden with arms full of food, including a suspect bone that he promptly offered to Titan. He glanced up for a moment, shaking his head slowly. 

 

“Do I want to ask?” he wondered. 

 

Fenris took a seat next to him, shrugging. “I suspect you already know. What I want to know is why there are Tevinter camps in Ferelden…” 

 

Hawke held up the letter. “I think I have the answer here. Varric says that Tevinter stepped in awfully quick. Sounds like they took up in Redcliffe. I have to agree it’s a bit suspicious, I almost think we should stop in, I want to see for myself...Though I guess it is the opposite direction from where we need to go…” 

 

Fenris paused at his words, swallowing away the bread he had been eating, his expression turning serious. He had no great love for mages, though thanks to Hawke, he was at least as willing to be around them as he was to kill them, a big improvement according to him. He knew how things worked in the Imperium, and he had a good guess at what they would do with an army of mages, regardless of what the mages themselves wanted. Those that tried to fight back? He wouldn’t be surprised if they were used as fodder for some blood magic ritual. Stroud knew how to contact them, it wasn’t like they couldn’t follow the lead and look into this a little more if needed. 

 

“So why are we still here? Isn’t this more important?” he asked. 

 

It was important, and yet Varric made it sound like the girl was plenty capable of handling it. There was also the fact that if they got anywhere near the Inquisition, he might get swept up in it. He had done his service for Thedas, if helping the mage rebellion was helpful, and this was not his cause. It wasn’t like he could just ignore it though, and even the dwarf was reconsidering his own advice for him to stay away. Sighing deeply, he kneaded his brow as though trying to stave off a headache. 

 

“This could really complicate everything. Fenris, what do you think, should we go?” he questioned with an edge of irritation. 

 

“You  _ were _ the one going off on how bored you were.” he groaned. “If you’re going to make me decide, then let’s go.” 

 

He diverted his attention back to the letter, tilting his head in thought. He still wasn’t sure he had actually heard the girl’s name and the more time went on, the more some of the finer details about her appearance were growing fuzzy. Fenris may not have been able to recall his own past, but one thing he could be counted on for was his eye for detail. Maybe there was a small chance the Herald and the girl they met were one and the same. 

 

“Say, that girl we met...what do you remember about her?” He asked curiously. 

 

Fenris closed his eyes, a habit he noticed when he stopped to really think about something, like the answer was etched into his eyelids. He hunched over, returning to his bread, silent for a time, so long Hawke wondered if perhaps he had fallen asleep sitting up. 

 

“Lavellan, that was the clan, I believe she said she was her Keeper’s first. Face had markings like a tree, I think she said it was for Mythal. Her eyes were kind of yellow-gold, I seem to recall, and she had red hair. A little shorter than I am, so probably an inch or two taller than Merrill?” he said. 

 

Grinning a little, he nodded once. “Guess you were paying attention. Could it be that you were interested? All of that, but did you catch her name?”

 

Fenris huffed grumpily. “I wasn’t the one who was making stupid comments for attention. ‘Not to brag, but I’m pretty strong for a mage. I bet I could lift you with one arm.’” really? You can actually make regular conversation even when you  _ are _ interested, it doesn’t have to be about how impressive everything you do is.” he paused, rolling his eyes. “Her name was Halesta. Why are you bringing this up anyway, you never explained that?” 

 

He made a good point, although it wasn’t entirely obvious why he was trying to impress someone he barely knew. Maybe being Champion of Kirkwall went to his head a little bit. Well, regardless of the intention, it seemed he had to hope he was memorable for a different reason now. He held the papers up, shaking them as if to draw his attention to them. 

 

“It seems...the girl who saved us is the Herald of Andraste. If we decide to look into this a little further, we’ll be crossing paths with her fairly quickly. “ he said. 

 

Titan raised his head, barking happily, his stubby tail wagging excitedly. Hawke laughed at that, reaching to scratch his ears. 

 

“Well, I suppose that answers it for us. We’ll see what we can learn about Redcliffe and the mage situation and then we’ll head out and...ugh...I guess this means whether we want to or not we’re joining the Inquisition. Perhaps we should do a little shopping first. Word will get around too quickly if people recognize us.” he said with a groan. 

 

“You mean if they recognize you. Besides, I can’t really disguise myself. Remember these markings I have, and how I said they show through anything? The only one people might know from Kirkwall aside from you would be the abomination.  _ I  _ didn’t save Kirkwall from Qunari, and  _ I _ didn’t blow up the chantry. I may as well be forgettable in all of this.” he said with a proud smirk. 

 

“I would hardly call you ‘forgettable’. Perhaps that’s just me though.” he laughed. 

 

“Probably. As if you could ever hope to forget me. So what’s the plan?” He said, changing the subject quickly. 

 

“Well first, I thought we’d eat. I’ll write back to Varric and let him know we’ll be there soon enough. Makes me wonder where the rest of the mage brigade ended up, do you think we’ll see them too?” he wondered.

 

“I would imagine so. If they were together, I’d guess the intent is to seek her out at some point. That would make the most sense.” he told him. 

 

“Right, right. I hadn’t thought of that. Now are you going to keep all that to yourself, or am I going to get something?” Hawke grumbled. 

 

Fenris glanced down at the food in his arms, handing him an orange, prompting a frown from him, to which he smirked. 

 

“You would give me the only thing that requires the most effort to eat. Here I thought you actually cared.” he mumbled with a fake pout.

 

“What? You mean you don’t have any magic for that? That’s a shame.” he said. 

 

“Yes, of course. What mage doesn’t know a good fruit peeling spell.” he sighed, rolling his eyes. 


	4. Still More Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Breach is sealed, Halesta gets a nap, but then shit goes sideways

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter must have been changed and redone like five times.

Varric had hoped to delay the trip to the Breach a little longer. Hawke had indicated in the last letter that he received that he was indeed on the way, after one quick stop to look into something. It looked like he was about to miss the fun, but still, better late than never. Opting to stay back in case Hawke did show up, he saw Halesta off, awash in a sea of robes. She was very good natured about the whole situation, for someone who was, prior to all the fuss, little more than a kid, probably busy flinging humans who got too close into the horizon or something. With little else to do while he waited, he sat in the tavern, not just for the awful drinks, but because everyone knew if you wanted to learn anything, it was the best place to go.  Mostly, he was hoping for any rumors regarding Hawke or the progress of the search for the Hero of Ferelden, but he was equally curious about what led up to the magister being hauled to the dungeons, looking every bit like he had died inside. He had of course heard that he invited the Herald,  _ by name _ , though he couldn’t recall her name ever being used in Val Royeaux or in Redcliffe, which begged the obvious question, how anyone even knew her name. The trap was well known from the start, but there was so many gaps he wanted filled in, and naturally, he wasn’t disappointed. 

 

There seemed to be one particularly chatty patron today, from the looks of it, one Halesta herself had recruited. It didn’t sound like the information came from anyone who might be privy to direct knowledge. A series of strange encounters, both with elves who didn’t appear to be from Ferelden. The description of the first directly matched Fenris, based solely on the ‘strange’ markings she saw. That was a sure sign that Hawke was also now within reach of the Inquisition, but the other description was familiar too. A blonde elven man spotted in the Hinterlands, with a facial mark that didn’t resemble any Dalish tattoo. As if he didn’t know who that sounded like, the very same Crow that nearly got into a fight with Fenris over his far too casual attitude. It seemed that Hawke was not the only one aware of what was happening. If Zevran was this close, it either meant he had business of his own here, the Crows had come too close to him again, or, most likely, the Hero was investigating as well. The question there was what would happen first, Halesta returning from the short trip to the Breach, Hawke arriving, or perhaps the Hero would make it before everyone.

 

On the matter of Alexius, he knew enough. Something about time magic, and a cult. It wasn’t hard to fill in the gaps, something happened at the second meeting, and obviously whatever it was failed. Of course that was the obvious explanation, no one that left failed to return, so not dead, and the magister was in chains, so whatever he planned to do with said time magic didn’t work out. Bah, either way, waiting was so boring…

 

* * *

 

The Herald returned, supported between the Seeker and Solas, guided to her room before the came back out without her. There was no time to ask, the answer was volunteered readily. 

 

“She’s been on the go non-stop since she first woke up. Closing the Breach just took too much out of her, she needs a bit to rest.” Solas stated. 

 

“I suppose this means she’s gonna miss the celebration. That’s a shame.” Varric said. 

 

* * *

 

Hawke still hadn’t shown up yet, and hours had passed, the festivities still ongoing. Halesta wobbled out of her room, sweeping her palm against her eyes, brushing her hair back. The Maker was surely getting a good laugh today, not more than a few minutes after she came out, the alarm was raised. Cullen rushed past, towards the gate, and she moved to follow, all traces of lingering sleepiness vanished in an instant. Varric tagged along mostly because it was a good thing to know what the hell was happening now. The Commander reported there was a massive force approaching. Halesta had stood up to templars, rebel mages, and a Tevinter magister wielding time magic, sealed the Breach, all with a strange ease that seemed impossible, but even an army was surely too much for her to deal with, not even that drastic, it was too much for everyone gathered there. That didn’t stop the plot for things to become even weirder still. Just outside the gate was a small group, apparently waiting for her. 

 

“You’re still alive. This is good.” a voice called. 

At the front of the group was an elven man with dark hair, dressed in fine robes, an ornate staff at his back. A quiet man, also with dark hair answered him, though it was less his words and more his unusual looks that demanded notice. He had long, sharp nails, a sash fastened around his forehead, and nothing but a ridge of dark furs around his neck and shoulders, the only normal article of clothing being the pants and boots he wore, as if he didn’t notice it was freezing out. 

 

“I told you, did I not?” he replied 

 

Varric’s eyes naturally followed the crowd, noticing a bewildered looking young man in a wide brimmed hat, a rather tall looking man with red hair and horns, a human wearing robes equally fancy as the elven man, thoroughly disinterested in the marching armies descending from the mountains, and...two familiar faces, one sullen, the other grinning.

 

“We found her strays. Looks like we showed up just in time.” Hawke said. 

 

Cullen frowned, pressing a hand to his brow. “Hawke. I should have known you’d show up.” 

 

Fenris nudged him just below the ribs, gesturing to him. Hawke’s attention left the dwarf towards Cullen. “Nice to see you too. I’d say the lack of Templars is refreshing, if they weren’t charging at us. Not your doing, I’m guessing.” 

 

The quieter of her friends reached for her arm, drawing her out from the middle of the group, gently pushing her to the yard. 

 

“Reunions can wait.” he mumbled. 

 

Cullen snapped back to attention, directing the mages to join in the battle, most of her friends save for the tall one, Solas, Iron Bull and Varric ran back inside the gates to do what they could to help out. 

 

“Did you get enough sleep?” Solas asked. 

 

“She just woke up? This should be fun.” the red haired man said with a chuckle. 

 

They headed towards one of the trebuchets, about to be swarmed with red lyrium encrusted templars. Halesta gestured to her friend who offered a gentle smile before he hoisted her to his shoulders, the silent communication between them saying they had likely worked together for a long time, enough to understand each other without words, it was impressive. He tapped her right ankle, and she looked to the right, a system easy enough to pick up basics without much effort. She swept her hand up, flinging one back to slam into the group, lifting it again, one templar held in an invisible grip, bludgeoning the others forcefully. 

 

“Am I seeing this right?” Varric muttered under his breath. 

 

“She isn’t very pleasant when she first wakes up.” he said, not looking back, tapping her left ankle this time. 

 

With a wave of her hand, she managed to retrieve the discarded swords, sending them flying into another templar, almost a pincushion by that point. The one behind it was the next to receive her anger, crushed mercilessly with another motion, sprays of blood and bits of bone sprayed out along the snow. It was equal parts interesting and a little frightening, to see how easily she could destroy as easily as protect, and there was no indicator. At least with the elements, you could see it coming and have a chance to get out of the way, with this, it was like an invisible...well,  _ force _ . She had said she was a force mage, after all, and at her core, she seemed rather sweet, so no one really seemed put off by her being a mage, there was no reason to assume she might turn it towards her allies. 

 

Bull spoke up finally, an where he expected another comment on how weird it was, he went the other way. 

“Oh, I’ve got one for you. Can you crush them together?” he asked. 

 

She glanced back over her shoulder, shrugging. “I’ve never tried. Shall we find out?” 

 

The look on her face shifted to one of pure focus, seeking out two enemies, drawing her hands together, clenched tightly like she was trying to squeeze something between her intertwined fingers, the clash of armor coming moments before she managed to bash them together hard enough. The sharp collision sounded hard, and the explosion of bones and entrails was proof that it must have been much harder than they heard. 

 

“Oh man, that’s crazy…” Bull gasped. “Do it again!” 

 

Looking down for a moment, she nodded. “Kata, can you bring me a little closer? I want to try for three this time.” 

 

“So...you’re…” Varric began, trailing off. 

 

“Half-Qunari? Yes. My father is human.” he said bluntly, as if it were a question he answered frequently, which, he probably had. 

 

“Hm. Looks like I owe Hawke ten sovereigns.” he muttered under his breath. 

 

“If you want to make it back quickly, I could introduce you to the others later. Might come in handy to have an ace up your sleeve.” she answered. 

 

“Cheat on a bet? For shame!” he said, feigning moral outrage. “I taught you well.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was getting long, so I plan to (Hopefully) finish up with Haven in the next chapter, but not sure.


End file.
